Vehicle advertising sign retainer and the like



Dec. 21, 1943.

VEHICLE ADVERTISING SIGN RETAINER AND THE LIKE Filled Oct. 18. 1941 E. WOTTON 2,337,517

Patented Dec. 21, 1943 anteri- VEHICLE ADVERTISING SIGN RETAINER AND THE LIKE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in retainers for holding advertising signs in vehicles in place in the moldings wherein these signs are located. The retainers herein disclosed are intended for use in connection with advertising card signs which are placed in the curved upper portions of the vehicles, the card signs being set into place between the longitudinally extending molding strips, which strips extend lengthwise of the vehicle; and which strips are generally under cut to receive the upper and lower edges of the card signs. The card signs are placed between these molding strips end to end, and the retainers to which the present invention relates are extended across the adjoining end portions of the card signs, serving to protect said end portions. and at the same time serving to provide a finished and pleasing appearance to the card signs and to the vehicle itself.

The main object of the present invention is to provide new and improved retaining strips which will ensure smooth even pressure a a nst the concave surfaces of the card signs; which will compensate for variat ons in length or d stance over such curvedsurfaces between the moulding strips into which the card s gns are set and between which the spring retainers are clipped; or compensate automatically for variations in the lengths of the spring reta ning strips themselves; which will res st any twist ng action tending to rock the retaining strips away from right angles to the moulding strips; which retaining strips will not work endwise along the card signs and the moulding strips; which retaining strips will effectively cover over and protect the end portions of the card signs; and otherwise be of improved qualities; all without the need of making any changes in the molding strips which are a permanent portion of the vehicle itself. These new and improved retaining strips may therefore housed in vehicles equipped with the present form of the molding strips, and without change thereof, and it is merely necessary to substitute the retaining strips of the present invention for those heretofore used.

In connection with the foregoing it is a further object to provide retaining strips which are provided with special bends adjacent to their ends, and which bends are at all times under spring force due to use of the retaining strips in place between the moldings, these bend serving to take up and retain spring energy when the retaining strips are set into place between the moldings; which spring energy is aldeilection thereof, during the due to their compression ways present to retain the clips firmly against the faces of the card signs, and notwithstanding slight departure of the molding strips from their normally intended spacing. Sometimes I provide such bends on both end of the clip or retaining strip, as hereinafter illustrated; and sometimes I provide only a single such bend adjacent to one end, or elsewhere in the length of the clip or strip.

It is a further object to; provide an improved retainer or clip which may be set into place in the well understood manner and without the use of special tools or the like, and which when set into place will effectively perform their functions even in case of subsequent shift of the molding strips to an extent which would have been fatal to their effective use in the case of molding strips and retaining strips of previous designs.

It is a further object to provide retaining strips which can be readily manufactured according to well understood processes, and at very small cost.

Other objects and uses of the invention will appear from a detailed description of the same, which consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a retaining strip embodying the present invention, and in its normal or unsprung or undeflected condition or form;

Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a retaining strip when bent into working or deflected form, and with the bends or corrugations of the strip under some degree of compression to retain energy therein;

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a portion of the length of the upper portion of the vehicle, with two card signs in place, and with a retaining strip of the present invention in place to cover over and protect the end portions of the card signs, and to retain them in position; and

Figure 4 shows a sectional view throughthe retaining strip and the adjoining parts when the strip is in place.

The upper and lower molding strips are designated by the numerals l0 and H, respectively, and they are provided with the undercuts or channels I2 and I3 which receive the edge portions of the card signs l4 and signs are sprung into place, and. they are intended to be of proper width to substantially fillsmoothly against the curved face of the vehicle Hi When so set into;

the undercuts and; lie

place. It will be understood that when the IS. These card cards are straightened out they are of greater length or distance between their edges than the distance between the bottoms of the undercuts, so that they necessarily retain their curved forms when set into place as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

The retaining strip of the present invention is designated in its entirety by the numeral l1. It is of the form of a strip of spring metal such as steel, so that its ends may be sprung into place in the undercuts l2 and E3 in the well understood manner. Adjacent to one end of this retaining strip (or preferably both ends, as illustrated herein), said strip is formed with an outwardly extending U-shaped or ,reverse bend spring or corrugation l8 (and/r l8 as shown), the same being so located that when the retaining strip is sprung into place between the molding strips, this portion is (or portions l8 and I8) will stand out from the faces of the cards at a position close to the molding strip or molding strips, as is well shown in Figures 3 and 4. In fact, it is generally desirable that these bends 18 and I8 should come into direct and firm engagement with the edges of the molding strips, so that pressure may be exerted between these parts. Such result may be attained by properly proportioning the end portions of the retaining strips which are set into the undercut portions of the moldings themselves. Furthermore, these spring portions l8 and I8 are of size to not be objectionable when the retaining strip is in place, since it does not extend out very much beyond the molding strip adjacent to it.

It will be understood that these spring portions l8 and I ll constitute in effect spring extensions in the body of the retaining strip, so that the length of such strip may be accordingly modified, and the distance between the ends of the re taining strip may thus be accommodated to the exact clearance between the bottoms of the undercuts of the molding strips, and so that when the retaining strips are set into place they will always spring into place with their ends against the floors of the undercuts, or with their bends I8 and I8 against the edges of the moldings, and in either case with the faces of the retaining strips in firm contact with the faces of the cards or signs, and irrespective of the exact clearance between the molding strips. Furthermore, in case of slight changes or variations in the distance between the molding strips themselves, or in case of slight variations or inequalities in the sizes of the retaining strips themselves, there will be assurance that said strips will properly perform their intended functions, and that the card signs will be properly retained and held in place.

It will also be noted that the retaining strips are initially made of such length between their ends, or between the bends l8 and W, that when they are sprung into place between the molding strips the bends I8 and l8 must compress slightly, thereby exerting an endwise force in the body of central portion of the strip, and between said bends l8 and I8, which force is of a spring nature and serves to ensure a firm and even pressure at all times against the faces of the card signs. This will also ensure that there will be no reversals of the curvature of the retaining strips, such as has sometimes occurred in the cases of previously known and used strips. It is also found that my improved retaining strips herein disclosed will not work endwise of the vehicle or along the molding strips, but will remain securely fixed in place over the adjacent end portions of the card signs. It is furthermore found that,

-or deflection when once place is provided for at these points.

when the bends l8 and l8 come into direct contact with the edges of the molding strips the retaining strips are retained against any twisting properly set into place, and as a consequence they will at all times present a pleasing and attractive appearance during service.

It is emphasized that the compression of the U-shaped bends 8 and l8 serves to place the retaining strips under strong force and spring pressure against the sign cards, so that the latter are at all times forced against the curved portion or face of the vehicle It, thus keeping the card signs in good condition, and also at all times causing them to present a neat and trim appearance. Also, this spring face contact so ensured, serves to prevent the retaining strips from being easily withdrawn from the molding strips by merely inserting the fingernail between the strip and the card or sign, so that it is practically impossible to remove the retaining strips except by the use of a special tool such as a screw driver or other thin tool. This will prevent boys and other unauthorized persons from removing the retaining strips, and will thus reduce the loss of these strips by pilfering, etc.

It is to be noted that when the bends l8 and I 8 come into direct engagement with the edges of the molding strips, they will assume such positions as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 4. This result is ensured by properly proportioning the ends of the clip itself in comparison to the depths of the undercuts of the molding strips. In other cases, if the end portions of the retaining strip are longer than the depths of the undercuts of the molding strips, these bends I 8 and l8 will assume positions such as shown by the full lines in Figure 4. I contemplate all such combinations as being within the scope of my present invention.

It is also noted that the bends l8 and I8 serve to provide means wherein energy is retained due to deflection thereof, so that the energy needed to retain the card signs properly and securely in This makes it possible to use much thinner metal in these retaining strips than would otherwise be needed; and in fact I am able to use metal of substantially fifteen thousandths inch thickness in place of metal of substantially twenty five thousandths thickness as heretofore found necessary. This results in a great saving in cost of manufacture, as well as producing retaining strips which may be much more readily set into place, and still properly perform their functions.

. While I have herein shown and described only a single embodiment of the features of my present invention, still I do not intend to limit myself thereto, except as I may do so in the claims to follow.

I claim:

1. The combination with the curved face of a portion of a vehicle, and the molding strips extending lengthwise thereof, said molding strips being undercut adjacent to the said curved face, of a pair of cards set into position between said molding strips and with their edge portions entered into said undercuts, and a retaining strip overlying and protecting said cards in their end portions, said strip comprising a strip of springy sheet metal, normally formed on a curvature greater than but in the same direction as that of the vehicle face, and said retaining strip having a U-shaped spring portion projecting outwardly from its normally concave face and adbeing undercut adjacent to the said curved face, of a card set into place against said curved face and with its edge portions in the undercuts, and a retaining strip for said card, said strip being of springy metal and formed with an outwardly projecting U-shaped portion adjacent to one end thereof, the length of said retaining strip being such that said U-shaped portion comes into engagement with the edge portion of the adjacent 10 molding strip, substantially as described.

EDWARD WOTTON. 

